I was supposed to be proofing the Trip Guide, studying, and working on my 101 Things list this evening … so what did I do as soon as I got home from church? Went out for ice cream and then spent an hour and a half watching Attack of the Killer Tomatoes on DVD, of course.
On a completely unrelated note, my bike, which has a grand total of maybe — maybe — 30 miles on it, is in the shop because the chain keeps slipping. I’m supposed to get it back Tuesday.
It’s a cheap bike, but I’d hoped it would at least pretend to work right for a few hundred miles.
I’m kind of sorry I didn’t go with my first instinct, which was to buy a single-gear cruiser with coaster brakes. They’re heavier and harder to ride, but they’re also virtually indestructible. I know somebody is still making them, because one of the local hospitals bought a whole bunch of them for people to use at River Parks. While my Schwinn is in the shop, I might seize the excuse to go down to the trail and try out the Tulsa Townie program. If I like the bikes, I’ll probably try to find out where they got them so I can order one of my own. You know they’re built to last if they’re loaning them out to everybody and their dog.
The good news is that I can now ride all the way up the steep side of the hill on the overpass behind Ollie’s without smacking into The Wall or having to get off and walk … and I don’t feel as exhausted and sore and shaky at the end of my morning commute now that I’ve done it a few times. I still feel too hot and a little wobbly when I get off the bike, but by the time I get into the office and drink a couple of mouthfuls of Gatorade, I’m OK.
It was kind of disheartening to feel so rotten at the end of such a short ride the first few times, but I keep reminding myself that when I started training for my first marathon, a slow half-mile jog around the indoor track at the Y jolly near killed me. Two marathons later, I more or less grasp the concept of building a base and staying focused on the end goal instead of fussing over the progress of my training, so I think a century is not entirely out of reach.
Emily
Red Fork Hippie 
You might try G. Oscar’s bike shop over at either 16th or 18th and Denver (I think). He buys, fixes, and sells bikes. He might have a good cruiser or a line on one.
Em, you may be happy with the cruisers on the Tulsa trail system, but if you think you’re going to do hills, you probably would be better off with a hybrid or a flat-bar road bike. You should be able to get a good one in the $250 to $350 range. I would talk to several bike shops and tell them what type of riding you expect to be doing. They should steer you in the right direction.
Sometimes, you can find — forgive the pun — some real steals at police auctions. Yard sales may be a decent bet. Often, you can find bargains because people have no idea how good the bikes really are and offer them for sale at amazingly low prices.
i see bikes all the time at auctions. they never go for more than $15. i’ve always bought them and passed them on to folks who were in need of transportation, had no $$ for a car or bus or whatever.
though i haven’t done it, i’ve been thinking i need to get one of them rehabbed to use at home for short trips to the store, library, etc.
you inspire me. i drive very little at this point, can walk to work at my warehouse a block from home, but a bike . . . it would make me feel very college town european true green lover of earth happy 🙂